Alderney

An Island and sub-jurisdiction of the Bailiwick of Guernsey

Alderney is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency.

It is 3 miles long and 1 ¹⁄₂ miles wide. The area is 3 square miles, making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick. It is around 10 miles from the west of La Hague on the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in France, and 20 miles from the north-east of Guernsey and 60 miles from the south coast of Great Britain. It is the closest of the Channel Islands to both France and the United Kingdom. It is separated from Cap de la Hague by the dangerous Alderney Race.

The population of (around) 1,900 are traditionally nicknamed vaques after the cows, or else lapins after the many rabbits seen in the island. Formally, they are known as Ridunians, from the Latin Riduna.

The only parish of Alderney is the parish of St Anne, which covers the whole island. The main town, St Anne, historically known as “La Ville”, is often referred to as “St Anne’s” by visitors and incomers, but rarely by locals.

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